Jackson's doctor pleads not guilty

STAFF REPORT

During his arraignment Monday, Dr. Conrad Murray pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges related to the death of Michael Jackson.

Murray was taken into custody for booking, and bail was set at $75,000.

Earlier in the day, Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

The cardiologist was with Jackson when he died June 25 at his rented Los Angeles mansion. He is accused of acting "unlawfully and without malice" in bringing about Jackson's death, according to a complaint filed by prosecutors.

If convicted, the doctor could face up to four years in prison.

Murray returns to court April 5 to find out the date for the next major step in the case - a proceeding that will reveal for the first time the evidence the prosecution believes will show his "gross negligence" was the direct cause of the King of Pop's death.

Murray told police he gave Jackson a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives that were blamed for his death.

To prove an involuntary manslaughter charge, prosecutors must either show that Jackson died while Murray was carrying out an unlawful act, or that his standard of care was so bad that it was grossly negligent.

Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz ordered Murray to turn in his passport and said he could travel within the U.S., but not to any foreign country. The prosecutor had suggested he might flee to his native Grenada or to Trinidad where he has a child.

Schwartz told Murray he was restricting his practice of medicine, barring him from using any anesthetic agent, specifically the drug propofol that a coroner's report found was the cause of Jackson's death with other drugs as contributing factors.

"I don't want you sedating people," the judge said.

Immediately after the hearing, LaToya Jackson issued a statement saying she believed her brother had been murdered and that others besides Murray were involved in his death.

"I will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served," LaToya said. She was in court along with siblings including Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy.

Her father, Joe Jackson, expressed the same views Monday night in an interview on "Larry King Live" and claimed that his son believed he was going to be murdered.

As he left the courtroom, Joe said, "We need justice."

The charge was expected; Murray's attorney, Ed Chernoff, said Monday morning that his client planned to surrender to authorities later Monday.

"We'll make bail, we'll plead not guilty and we'll fight like hell," Chernoff said before the charge was filed.

On Friday, the Associated Press reported that after waiting all week to face a likely charge of manslaughter, Murray and his legal team planned to surrender at a Los Angeles courthouse.

"We are going to be at the courthouse at 1:30 (p.m. PST) for his surrender," said Miranda Sevcik, spokeswoman for Murray's legal team. "We see no reason to perpetuate the arbitrary situation any longer."

During several days of negotiations, Murray's lawyers tried to arrange a time with prosecutors for the Houston doctor to surrender. Those plans were derailed by haggling between prosecutors and law enforcement officials over whether the physician should be arrested or allowed to turn himself in.

"It seems ridiculous to us that it's been dragging on this long," Sevcik said. "We've been here all week long, for God's sake. What's the hold up? To us this is showmanship and we are just done."

The doctor maintains nothing that he gave Jackson should have killed him but sees a charge as inevitable, Sevcik said.

"We know he's going to be charged with involuntary manslaughter and we are ready with a counterargument," Sevcik said. "He's not guilty - that's our argument."

Various factors weighed into the desire to arrest Murray, including the possibility he might flee before arraignment, as O.J. Simpson did, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press.

Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department, which spent the past seven months investigating Murray, were unhappy with the idea of him surrendering because it could appear that Murray was being given special treatment, according to the official who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

The official said the district attorney's office opposed an early plan for detectives to make the arrest Friday morning.

Jackson died June 25, 2009 at a rented mansion on the west side of Los Angeles. The LAX courthouse handles criminal cases in the western portion of LA.

Murray and his lawyers met Wednesday to discuss their client's defense strategy in the event he's charged in the singer's death.